A Journey Through the Bible, Part Fifteen

Old Testament

Genesis 29 and 30

Genesis 29:25—“It came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?’" There’s a touch of humor here, though doubtless Jacob didn’t find it funny. He arrived in Padam Aram, and immediately fell in love with Rachel, the daughter of Laban, who was Rebekah’s brother. So that makes Jacob and Rachel cousins. But again, such close intermarriage was not unknown among the ancients. Jacob loves Rachel so much that he offers to serve Laban seven years for her, to which Laban agrees. When the seven years are up, Jacob wants his girl. The wedding is held, but the next morning, “behold, it was Leah.” Leah was Rachel’s older sister, and obviously not Jacob’s choice. How he did not know, during the night, that he wasn’t with Rachel is…peculiar to say the least. Perhaps he became so inebriated during the wedding feast that he didn’t know what he was doing. Anyway, he understandably complains about it to Laban, whose reasoning was that the custom of Mesopotamia was that the older daughter must be married before the younger. And he was correct about that custom; he was guilty, however, of great deception by not telling Jacob about it beforehand. Obviously, Laban saw an opportunity to get Leah married off, something that apparently wasn’t in the cards otherwise. Well, there wasn’t anything Jacob could do about it, but after he fulfills Leah’s week, Laban gives Rachel to him. Each also had handmaid in the deal, so Jacob ends up with a couple of wives and two concubines. Thirteen children will be born from the four women—12 sons, who become the 12 tribes of Israel, and one daughter, Dinah. The chapter ends by listing the first four sons of Leah—Rueben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Poor Jacob will end up being a ping-pong ball among these four ladies.

Genesis 30:1—“Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or else I die!’" That was rather childish of Rachel, of course; there was nothing Jacob could do about it. But it’s not surprising that Rachel had some major faults, given the scoundrel that her father was. The first half of this chapter gets the rest of the children born, except for the very youngest, Benjamin. Leah ends up having seven of the thirteen children—six sons and the daughter. Each of the two handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, will have two sons, and Rachel will end up eventually having two sons as well—Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph is mentioned here, Benjamin not; sadly, Rachel will die giving birth to the final son.

New Testament

Matthew 17

Matthew 17:5--"While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” This is during the event called the “Transfiguration” of Christ. Other than the written description, we aren’t exactly sure what happens here, but that’s not the most important aspect of this account. Moses and Elijah appear at the scene—the great Jewish lawgiver and the great Jewish prophet—and Peter wants to build a tabernacle for all three of them. But the voice from heaven says “Hear Jesus!” He, His will, His law, is what we must adhere to today, not the Law of Moses or the Old Testament prophets. A greater than Moses and Elijah had come.